Báo-haizi
by Transformersfan123
Summary: Prequel to How It All Began. Nightmares again. The small Báo-haizi doesn't know what to do. He sees his Human father and his Human mother, and, to put it lightly, they aren't getting along. What is he to do? Bába certainly wouldn't understand. No, he had to solve this on his own. But he forgot just why he became a Panther child. And Bába isn't happy that he would disobey him.


Here it is, Insanity21. Here is the story I promised. It turned out to be a one-shot, but might inspire some other fics. It has a light and fluffy ending, but gets into Lin Chung's head more. :)

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Eight-year-old Lin Chung sat up with a little gasp. His Bába shifted and curled his tail around him. The little báo-haizi shoved it aside and stood up, beginning to walk. His eyes were sharper than any Human's, just as powerful as a Panther's. The dark woods weren't so dark, but the nightmare was. He saw that Human woman being hit by his father, over and over and over until she didn't move anymore. He screamed one terrible word: "Māma!" Then he was struck repeatedly by his father until blackness overwhelmed him.

Lin Chung, who did not yet know that was to be his name, was confused. His father always said his mother had run away with another man. But he had called that woman his mother. Had father…killed her? He had to know, so he began to run back toward the place that Rahim had always warned him away from. he got there by morning. He saw his father working the fruit trees, and he hesitated before walking forward. The man looked at him.

"So you're still alive," he said distastefully.

"Yes," Lin Chung replied. "What did you do to my mother?"

"I split her skull," the man replied, grinning. "And you're next if you don't leave."

"Why did you kill her?"

"Because she didn't want me to hit you. Besides, it wasn't my fault. It was the alcohol."

"Alcohol only removes inhibitions. It doesn't mean you're not at fault. It just means that that is what you wanted to do, but were restrained by your own conscience from doing so," Lin Chung replied, quoting his Bába.

"Shut up."

"I want an apology," the child replied walking over and planting himself in front of his father.

"Here's your apology."

Lin Chung suddenly remembered the pain associated with his father as a fist connected with his face. He felt frightened and weak and, though he had been learning Panther fighting techniques, found himself unable to fight back. He began to cry, trying to get away. He could smell the alcohol, and it disgusted him. A roar sobered the man up quite well, and he stepped back as he was suddenly surrounded by Panthers. Rahim leaned down and picked up his son.

 _"Are you okay, little one?"_

 _"No. I hurt all over."_

 _"I shall take you home then come back to deal with this wretched excuse for a Human."_

 _"No!"_ Lin Chung gasped, reaching toward the house _"My blanket!"_

 _"Blanket?"_

 _"My mother made it for me. I would very much like to have it."_

 _"Oh. As you wish it."_

Rahim ordered his subjects to look for the blanket then dropped to all fours and told his son to hang on. Lin Chung almost slipped off a couple times. He still felt so weak…

He was finally dropped into the nest and Althea whined, nuzzling her bruised and bloody son.

"What happened?" she asked in Panther.

"He went back to his father's house."

"What? Why?" she gaped.

"I'm not sure, and I can't ask right now. Some of those wounds haven't stopped bleeding yet."

Lin Chung was turned this way and that as his Bába worked on him, stitching in some places, licking gently in others. He soon fell asleep, waking only when something soft slid over him.

"I hope this is the right one," Mei Ling said to the king and queen with a head shake. "There were a few more, but none had a mother's touch but this one."

"I appreciate it. Did you catch anything he said?" Rahim asked.

"Something about your son being naked. He seemed confused at that."

"Humans typically wear clothes to cover themselves. They usually have problems with others seeing them undressed. Báo-haizi is different."

"I see. Well, what made him go there?"

"I don't know. He was foolish. I have warned him many times not to go there. He must be punished." Rahim sounded very reluctant then looked down at the blanket. "He must explain himself, though. This blanket intrigues me. He told me his mother made it for him."

Althea frowned. "But my love, he has stated on several occasions that he cannot remember his mother, and that she ran off with another man."

"That is what his father told him. Have you awakened the past week or two to hear our son gasping in fear?"

"…Are you saying…What are you saying?"

"I don't know exactly, but something has him spooked. We must question him. We cannot have him do it again."

Silence reigned and the boy fell back asleep. He woke up sore, whimpering as he moved. There was a gentle shushing, and a tongue lapped at his ear, he curled close and his stomach clenched, making him gasp.

"Oh, our poor baby is hungry," Althea said, licking his face.

Rahim chuckled. "Then we must feed him."

They sat him up, and the boy opened his eyes to see that it was early evening, the light not having left the sky yet. He licked his lips as he sat up to find a bowlful of berries. He ate hungrily until his stomach was full then sat back and allowed his parents to lick him clean. He purred and curled over, snuggling against his māma. There was a sigh, and Lin Chung flinched.

"I'm sorry, Bába," he whispered, tearing up.

"You disobeyed me. I want to know why."

"No, you don't."

"Yes, I do. Now tell me."

"No."

There was a snarl and Lin Chung quaked in fear. He had never heard such a deadly noise before. He began to cry. Althea growled at her mate.

"You scared him."

"He must explain himself!" Rahim said firmly.

"Must you be so harsh?"

"Yes. Now, Báo-haizi, explain yourself."

Lin Chung whimpered and peeked up at him to see a firm expression. But it wasn't harsh. He slowly reasoned that his Bába truly did want to know so he could help him. But how to explain the blood? He shivered.

"He killed her."

Surprise was now etched into his face. "Who?"

"My māma. He beat her until she didn't move anymore then he hit me."

"So it _is_ a repressed memory," Rahim sighed. "Come here, little one."

Lin Chung obeyed, cringing as parts of him protested the movement quite loudly. He was swept up in an infinitely gentle embrace, and his sore cheek was licked several times as his long-lost blanket was snugly pulled around him.

"You should have told me of the blanket. I would have gladly gone to retrieve it. Then you wouldn't have gotten hurt."

"I'm sorry, Bába. I thought you wouldn't get it for me."

"You didn't ask, or you would have known that the answer was yes."

"I'm sorry," he whispered again.

"Tell me, can you remember anything else of your mother?"

"No, Bába. Just her giving me the blanket, and saying I love you. And of father…"

"Yes, I understand," Rahim said quickly. "But you must learn to trust me with this."

"I'm sorry."

Rahim paused. There was more to that apology then what was on the surface.

"Sorry for what?"

"For not being strong enough to fight him."

"What?" Rahim was truly bewildered.

"I wasn't strong enough. I got scared and couldn't fight. That's why I'm so hurt."

"No! No, no, no, little one!" Rahim cried out loudly. "That is not something to be sorry for! You were foolish in going there, yes, but you were not weak!"

"But I couldn't fight back."

"That does not mean you are weak!"

"Well then what am I?"

"You are one of the strongest Humans I have ever met."

Lin Chung paused and smiled. "Thank you, Bába."

Rahim paused and nodded once at his mate. "I have a new name for you."

"You do? But I don't want a new name!"

"Nonsense. I will call you Fang He."

"Why?"

"Because your scent is very pleasing. Completely unlike your alcoholic father."

Lin Chung considered this. "I don't want a new name," he finally said.

"You'll grow to love it."

"No, I won't."

The watching Lin Chung snorted. "I hate that he was right."

Blayze laughed, taking the coin from the Báo-haizi. He flipped it up into the air with his thumb then caught it as the forest disappeared to the plainness of the Monkey King's room. Hardwin reached out for it, and it was handed over without complaint.

"Well, that was interesting, Lin Chung," Mystique Sonia said.

"Are you naked in all your memories?" Mighty Ray asked irritably.

"All of the ones where I'm not interacting with Humans," Lin Chung replied. "Except for the time with my father."

"Can't you…I don't know, put clothes on you?"

Lin Chung shrugged, and Woo answered. "I do believe it is possible, but only we three could do it." He gestured at himself and the Monkeys. "He will probably be able to once the memories are exhausted, but it will be too late then. Just don't think about it."

"Kinda hard not to."

"Shut up, banana brain," Mystique Sonia growled, Yaksha slapping him over the head.

"I don't see the problem," the Rabbit whispered in Rabbit-speak to the two Monkeys and the diminuative Human.

Blayze chuckled and spoke in the same tongue. "Just keep in mind that Humans are the strangest out of all species. Clothing. How silly."

Woo snorted. "Easy for you to say You are contained in and of yourself. We are not. We are very vulnerable."

"And clothing helps?" Hardwin asked teasingly. "it is mere cloth."

Woo glared at him. "We're not starting that again."

By this point, everybody was looking at them.

"What are you saying?" Lin Chung asked, noting the playful look on Hardwin's face and the irritated one on Woo's.

Blayze tittered. "An old argument," he said in Human-speak.

"What kind of argument?" Mr. No Hands asked.

"It involves the stupidness of clothing," Hardwin said, clearly baiting his oldest Human friend.

"Stupidness! You'll never feel exposed because you have fur!"

The Humans leaped to Woo's side immediately, even Lin Chung, who had an interesting and unique take on the whole thing, while Jumpy finally voiced his own confusion on the matter. Blayze laughed to himself. _Well,_ he thought in amusement, _that started it all over again._


End file.
